The Pareto Principle states that 80 percent of your revenue will come from 20 percent of your customers. It is therefore in your best interest to develop strong marketing strategies to attract the best customers. AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. It is an acronym that is used by marketers and advertisers to develop a marketing communication strategy. In small-business marketing, AIDA helps owners communicate more effectively with their customers. A good marketing strategy will increase your chances of getting through to your target audience, and AIDA can help your small business achieve that.

1. Attract "Attention" to your small business. The ability for the marketer or communicator to grab the customer's attention is vital for effective communication. For a small business, this can mean marketing on street-level signs, hiring sign spinners, purchasing billboard time or even using a blimp or hot air balloon.

2. Develop "Interest." The more you understand your audience, the better you will be at gauging interest levels. The best way to determine what interests your customer base is to figure out what information it wants to know. Develop a message that will keep the audience reading. For a small business, this can mean developing surveys or asking customers to answer a few questions upon checkout. Use words that evoke emotion.

3. Create "Desire." Desire is commonly created with a sense of urgency. Determine exactly what your customer desires, and use these words in your message. For instance, if you are selling a franchise, you might want to have the words "financial freedom" in your message.

4. Call the customer to "Action." A "call to action" begins with a verb that tells the customer what to do. Think of this as an opportunity for you to invite your customers to use or purchase your service. The more urgency you can create behind this action, the better. For instance, a small business may have a discount only on Wednesdays between noon and 3 p.m.

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About the Author

Working as a full-time freelance writer/editor for the past two years, Bradley James Bryant has over 1500 publications on eHow, LIVESTRONG.com and other sites. She has worked for JPMorganChase, SunTrust Investment Bank, Intel Corporation and Harvard University. Bryant has a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in finance from Florida A&M University.